August 30, 2005~~3:13 p.m.
Karma is a Bitch, Beeootch!!
Sometimes, karma gets it right. Usually, shit happens and I just go along with my life saying to myself, �Oh well. What can you do? Overall, I have a great life.� I mean, there are always going to be rude people that cross your path and if you get upset about it and let the anger fester, you, too, will be that rude person sooner or later. I choose to let things slide off my back as much as possible, at least to the offender�s face. But lately, it seems like the Poetic Justice Fairy has had my number and has been sprinkling my way with karma dust. And I have to admit, it feels pretty damn good. So we have this upstairs neighbor/family who evidently evolved not from the apes, but from an elephant herd somewhere in Africa. There are no known men upon this earth who walk more loudly or pound harder on the floor above us than them. I first remember them scaring the crap out of me one evening around midnight (yes I said MIDNIGHT) when it sounded as though they were dropping heavy furniture or bodies all over their kitchen and living room as I sat watching television. I assumed they were moving in and unpacking, but common courtesy informs one to be a little quieter at midnight and maybe be careful not to drop heavy items on one�s floor at oh, say, ANYTIME of the day because it�s just really annoying to be underneath that noise. The noise has further continued with the pounding that often occurs when they walk across the floor. Sometimes I hear outrageously loud crashes from their kitchen and twice, now, I have been angered that it has gone on for over an HOUR; enough to get out a broom and beat on my ceiling in hopes they�ll get the message. Shortly after these nasty neighbors moved in, I encountered the woman, whose name is close enough to Elvira that I shall call her so, in our apartment complex gym. She was riding the stationary bike and apparently didn�t appreciate how loud the music was playing. Someone who had been in the gym before her had turned it on. Gym etiquette dictates that no matter what crappy music or television station is playing when you get there, you have to suffer through it until the person who chose it either leaves or gives permission to change the station. That�s just how it goes. Elvira didn�t get that memo, apparently, because she gets up off her bike and lowers the volume without asking the dude lifting weights. A verbal altercation ensued and she held her ground but the guy went over and turned the music back up, essentially flipping her the bird in gymspeak. She had just enough �edge� to make me secretly glad that he did so and when I later saw her going upstairs to the apartment above ours, it all came clear. Of COURSE she was abrasive and selfish at the gym. She was our upstairs neighbor!! As time has worn on, we have been less than friendly toward each other. I stare her down whenever possible, especially after the night that a herd of wild horses galloped across Elizabeth�s ceiling when I was putting her to bed. I mean, enough is enough. And then, the unthinkable happened. Elvira backed straight into our SUV while Omar was unloading groceries outside our apartment. She was ridiculous enough to assume that the cops would come and take a report for the fender bender so she refused to move her car from the point of impact, thus blocking the driveway for anyone trying to get out the back gate. Omar, being an employee of the police department, tried to tell her that due to the enormous gang and homicide problem our city faces with a fleet of understaffed police officers, they were unlikely to come to her aid anytime that day or, in fact, in the next year, but she would hear nothing of it. She tried to pin the blame on him since he had parked temporarily in a red zone, but he also explained that it didn�t matter WHERE he parked, that she had a duty to look behind her when backing out of a parking space. (Aside, I�m just glad it was the Xterra and not our two year old who was hit by Elvira. Dumb bitch.) Meanwhile, there her car sat, blocking the way of other drivers. Finally, when a woman who is a deputy sheriff tried to drive through and insisted she move, Elvira complied. In the end, we got their insurance information to get our car fixed. For two months, Omar tried to find time to get estimates for the repairs on his own, so that they would not have to report the accident to their insurance company. Time was ticking by, so I finally decided to just report it to our insurance, get the car fixed and let the two companies deal with each other. In the past two months, I have heard nothing but crashes, stomps, doors sliding shut, pans falling out of cabinets, more stomping, running across the living room, etc. I did not feel even a twinge of guilt when I picked up a rental car last week after dropping off the Xterra for repairs and the rental was a brand new vehicle with only 60 miles on it. I felt no guilt knowing that sometime in the past few days, Elvira has received a call from Farmer�s Insurance asking about the accident she caused and being informed it would cost $600 to replace our bumper. And when she tried to pin the blame on Omar? Knowing she�d be told it was a moot point. Take THAT, Elvira. But that�s not all the Poetic Justice Fairy has done for me lately. I recently sold something on Ebay and listed the shipping cost at a flat $10 rate. In the past, I have used the Ebay shipping calculators but have found them to be a bit unreliable and often, they overestimate the actual shipping charge. So when I estimate what I think will be the charge, after having a good deal of experience shipping things places, I may tack on an extra dollar just to be safe. But I do not try to make money off of shipping charges. So the person who won my auction (I�ll call her Noreen) a couple of weeks ago never pays me and never contacts me. After a few days, I sent an invoice to her as a sort of reminder that she needs to pay me. I hear back from her in a snippy email that says, �I will send a money order soon and will be paying $10 for shipping which I expect to see in it�s entirety on the package because nobody makes money on Ebay on shipping. YES??!!!� Completely offended, I popped off a reply to her explaining that I am not in the business of cheating people out of money on shipping and that I have been screwed out of money in the past because I underestimated shipping costs. I also explained my problem with the shipping calculator. I offered to take the box to the mailing center to find the exact shipping price to her in MAINE. Yes MAINE. I am in CALIFORNIA. That is across the COUNTRY. She�s actually on some BEACH in MAINE where they probably only get mail twice a week which probably increases the postage necessary since the mail carrier might have to ride a horse out to her house or something. She replied that it would be great if I could find out the exact price as �$10 seems a bit high.� I went to the mail center today. It will cost Noreen $10.20 to ship her auction items.
|
